The present invention relates to a motor vehicle window that is controllably displayable in terms of its color, tint, transparency, and color and textual arrangement by suitable manipulation of an onboard input device.
WO 02/10844 discloses an ornamental window for a vehicle provided with a readily fillable margin formed between two panels, which is filled with a colored material, such as a liquid or gas, that controls the amount of light passing through the ornamental window according to the opacity of the material. A remote control transmitter allows a user to control the passage of colored fluid to the margin between the two panels. Needless to say, the color and/or textual arrangement which are displayable on a normally sized vehicle window by means of the fluid introduced to the margin between the two panels is quite limited. Also, the equipment needed to control the display including control valve, color agent cartridges, and tubes is relatively complex and bulky. Additionally, the display viewable on the ornamental window cannot be instantaneously changed due to the response time of the equipment and of the fluid. Furthermore, the color agent cartridges need to be frequently replenished.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,923 discloses a window unit having an electro-shade of adjustable light transmittance. The window unit has spaced window panes, to each of which is adhesively applied an electro-optical conductive polymer cell consisting of two electrodes and an electrolyte disposed therebetween. By varying the amount and polarity of applied direct current or voltage, the transmission of visible and near-infrared radiation can be adjusted.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,819,467 discloses a window assembly having a variable transmission medium disposed in a space between two transparent panels whose visible light transmittance is variable upon the application of an electric field thereto, as well as ultraviolet radiation reducing material.
The window of each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,923 and 6,819,467 provides only a substantially uniform change of light transmittance, and is therefore not readily adaptable to display a multi-colored advertisement, a textual message, or a video application.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,581 discloses a substantially transparent substrate, such as glass or tinted glass, into which light emitting material is integrated. The light emitting material is configured to emit visible light in response to absorption of ultraviolet light from a projector. Thus viewable images, such as a map image on a windshield of an automobile or an advertisement on a store window, are displayed in response to the absorption of ultraviolet light. With respect to this publication, a projector, which adds considerable cost to the price of the apparatus and occupies much needed air space within the interior of the automobile allocated for the comfort of passengers, is required in order to view the images. The projector also needs to be positioned at a specific disposition in order to maximize the resolution of the images.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a controllably displayable motor vehicle window.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle window display having a sufficient resolution to support advertising, messaging, or video applications.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle window that is controllably displayable, following user selection, within a relative fast response time.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle window on which an advertising or messaging image is viewable without need of a projector.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.